Mechanism for cracking and disintegrating cotton-seed.



N0. 7u,|34. Patented Oct. l4, I902.

J. c. w. STANLEY.

MECHANISM FOR CRACKING AND DISINTEGRATI'N G COTTON SEED.

( App1ication filed July 13, 1900.)

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES,

PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN C. W. STANLEY, OF LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE COTTON SEED OILSYNDICATE, LIMITED, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

MECHANISM FOR CRACKING AND SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters PatentNo. '71 1,134, dated October 14, 1902.

Application filed July 13, 1900.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN CHARLES WIL- LIAM STANLEY, a subject of theQueen of England, residing at London, England, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Mechanism for Cracking and DisintegratingCotton-Seed, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to mechanism for [O cracking and disintegratingcotton-seed, its

object being to provide a simple and improved mechanism for this purposethe operation of which will effect the separation of almost all thekernels from the cracked hulls :5 and the cotton adhering to them andthe kernels will be pulverized or broken up into small fragments and bemixed with only a minimum of the fragments of the hull and a little freecotton.

The invention will be fully described hereinafter, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a sectionalelevation of the machine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is aplan view ofthe grating forming part of the disintegrating mechanism. Fig. 3 is aplan View, partly in section, of the cracking-rollers. Fig. 4: is aView, partly in section, showing the arrangement of the grating and thethreshing-arms.

One of the greatest difficulties which has been encountered inattempting to separate the hull and fiber from the oil-bearing kernel ofcotton-seed has been the matting to- 3 5 gether of the kernel and fiberin the preliminary crushing or grinding of the seed, which is necessaryto break the hull andexpose the kernel. The most common method inpractice at the present time is to subject the cotton-seed to the actionof rolls with teeth orknives or to some one of many forms of grindingmechanisms, and the usual result is that very much of the kernel becomesmatted in the fiber and cannot be separated from it except by chemicaltreatment. It has also been proposed to pass dried or desiccated seedbetween cylindrical rolls for the purpose of cracking the bulls,liberating the kernel therefrom, and grinding the latter to a pow- 5oder and then subjecting the mixed mass of hull and fiber and powderedkernel to agita- Serial. 1%. 23,546. (No model.)

tion within a perforated cylinder, which is closed except for the inletfor the mass and the perforations for the escape of the powdered kernel.Obviously much of the powdered kernel will become matted in the fiberunder such treatment, and there isa further objection to this method oftreating the seed, which is the preliminary drying or desiccating of theseed, on account of the additional expense if for no other reason. Bythe apparatus which I have invented and which forms the subject-matterof this application I am enabled to treat damp cotton-seed as well asthat which is comparatively dry without crushing the seed into a mattedmass of fiber, hull, and kernel, and almost all of the latter can beseparated fromthe hull and fiber by the mechanical means illustrated inthe drawings and now to be described.

A indicates a casing which is closed except for the necessary openingsfor the ingress of the cotton-seed and the egress of the separated partsthereof.

Bis a hopper, to which the cotton-seed is conveyed and which delivers itcontinuously between a pair of cylindrical cracking-rollers The journalsof these rollers are mounted in boxes 0, which are slidably supported inthe casing, and springsw' tend to force them toward each other. Bothrollers will be positively driven in any suitable manner, which it isnot necessary to describe.

K indicates'scrapers which engage the rollers G to remove such parts ofthe cotton-seed as may adhere to them during the operation of crackingthe bulls.

E represents a grating rigidly supported within the casing below therollers O and forming a perforated floor therein, and D indicates ashaft which is journaled in the casing transversely of the bars a of thegrating and preferably parallel to the rollers. The shaft D is providedwith a series of rows of radiating whipping-arms d, which preferably 5will be angularin cross-section and, as shown in the drawings, arerectangular and which are so arranged that when theshaft is rotated theywill move through the spaces between the bars 6 of the grating, andpreferably there too will be a clearance of about one-eighth of an inch,more or less, varying according to the size of the seed treated, betweenthe sides of further reducing the cracked seed, and the angular shape ofthe bars greatly facilitates the breaking up of the kernels.

Below the grating a reciprocating screen F is supported and receives itsreciprocating movement from eccentrics f, the eccentrics being connectedto the screen by rods f. An endless belt G is mounted upon rollers g totravel through the casing below the screen, and on this belt thematerial which passes through the screen will fall and may be conveyedto any suitable apparatus for further treatment. The tailings from thescreen F Will be collected in a receptacle h, from which they may beremoved for further treatment.

As shown, the casing A incloses the rollers O, and while this ispreferable it is not essential, for it is only necessary that the'casingA shall form a confining space or chamher for the seed while beingsubjected to the action of the beater-arms d.

The operation of the machine is as follows: The cotton-seed having beenpreviously freed from debris is fed into the hopper B, from which itpasses through the cracking-rollers C. These rollers are designed simplyto crack the hulls and will not be permitted to exert sufficientpressure on the seed to crush the hull and kernel into one mass or toexpress the oil into the fiber. The rapidly-revolving threshing orwhipping arms dwillpass through the falling stream of cracked seed asthe latter drops from the rollers and will drive it with great forceagainst the sides of the easing, and this violent beating and concussionwill shake or separate the heavier kernel from the lighter hull, and theseparated parts will then fall onto and pass through the grating anddrop freely onto the screen F. The threshing of the seed will not resultin crushing the kernel and hulls and fiber into a mass nor in expressingthe oil into the fiber, but as the kernel is comparatively brittle itwill be broken into small fragments. The hulls are comparatively tough,and this combined with the cotton which adheres to their outer surfacerenders them extremely difficult to break up into small fragments.Nevertheless small fragments will. be broken ed the hulls, and some ofthe cotton fibers will be liberated from the hulls. When the materialpasses through the grating and falls onto the screen, the fragments ofkernel, together with the small fragments of hull and some free cotton,will be sifted through; but the larger pieces of hull and the cottonadhering to them will tail off the screen. Some small fragments ofkernel will still adhere to the larger pieces of hull and will also bematted in the cotton on them; but the proportion of kernel carried 05 inthis way is very much less than is the case with the apparatus in use atthe present time. Also the proportion of hull and free cotton whichpasses through the screen with the kernel is very small, and theseparation of the hulls and the kernel by this machine is almost perfectand the kernel is in a good condition to be subsequently crushed to formkernelmeal.

Without limiting myself to the precise details of construction shown, Iclaim 1. In a mechanism for cracking and disintegrating cotton-seed, thecombination of a casing, means for cracking the seed and delivering itinto said casing, means for enabling a continuous feed to the crackingdevices, and a mechanism for disaggregating and still further reducingthe cracked seed in its fall from the cracking devices, comprising agrating forming a floor in said casing extending across the field offall of the cracked seed, a revolving shaft having radiatingwhipping-arms which intercalate with the bars and operate throughsubstantially the whole perforate area of the grating, substantially asset forth.

2. In apparatus for cracking and disintegrating cotton-seed, thecombination with means for cracking the seed, ofa easing into which thecracked seed is fed in a continuous stream, a grating forming a floor inthe casing and extending across the field of fall of the cracked seed, ashaft having radiating whipping-arms which intercalate with the bars andoperate through substantially the whole perforate area of the grating,and means to operate the arms to strike the falling seed above thegrating, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN C. W. STANLEY.

Witnesses:

EDWIN ORUsE, H. G. OGDEN, Jr.

IIO

